The Tiny Photos of Time
by Wings of a Falcon
Summary: Max is living the bad-girl life of a teenager. A new and interesting student named Fang transfers to her school, and that's when she starts receiving the tiny secret photos. Photos of her most treasured loved ones. Photos that are the beginning of something big and dangerous. After all, they do say that a picture is worth a thousand words. FAX, wings
1. Chapter 1

**I've started a new story! Has some similar ideas to "Secrets beneath the lies" but still pretty different. Hope you like!**

**Third-Point-View**

It was 7:00 o'clock in the town of Santa Barbara, and hundreds of kids woke up to get ready for the first day of Ridgeview High School. Meanwhile, a 17-year-old girl named Maximum Ride would still continue to sleep for another half hour.

**Fang POV**

I was just entering the building of my new high school. I had been transferred because apparently my old one didn't "challenge" me enough and wouldn't allow me to "reach my full potential", according to my parents. So instead of Oakland I would be attending Ridgeview High for my junior and senior year, starting today. I knew absolutely no-body, so I am safe to say that I have no idea how my day is going to turn out.

Immediately after I reached my designated locker that the lady at the front desk had given me, a pretty red-haired girl came up to me, immediately resting her manicured hand on my arm while looking up at me from under her make-up covered eyelashes.

"Hi! You're new here, haven't seen you around before! I'm Lissa," Lissa said, while trying to make herself sound sexy. I knew her type, I had dealt with a bunch of them back at Oakland.

"Hi..Lissa. I'm Fang. Do you know where.. Mr. Greensboro's.. classroom is? I have science first-period."

"Oh! I have his class first too! Isn't that great? We will be in the same class! I'll show you to his room as soon as the bell rings, ok?" Lissa jumped excitedly.

"Thanks." I said, looking around to observe my surroundings. As soon as I looked up, my eyes met those of a very gorgeous girl walking past. The girl looked to be about 17, my age, and wore skinny jeans, tall black boots, a tight tanktop, and a short leather jacket on top. Her sun-blonde hair came down her back in waves and matched with her brown eyes. Not a inch of makeup to be found. She walked alongside with a tall blonde guy with blue eyes who seemed to be checking out every girl he walked past. I could immediately tell that they weren't together, but just really close friends.

"Hey, Lissa, who are those two?" I asked.

"Thats Max, the girl, and Iggy. I wouldn't mess with them. Max has not kept a actual relationship with a guy since freshman year and has tricked just about ever boy you see into sleeping with her. Real slut I'd say..." Lissa explained, while looking down and observing her manicured nails with what I guess was jealousy. "But I'm not like that, right?"

"Uhh... I dunno," I mumbled while eyeing her short skirt and showy shirt. Right then the bell rang.

"Common Fang! Lets go! We're gonna be late!" Lissa yelled while running off and making click-clacky noises with her ridiculously high heels. I simply grabbed my stuff and followed.

**Max POV**

I walked my way into the school with Iggy along side. People just made way for me as I walked past. No, don't be under the impression that I'm a "queen bee" sort of girl. People simply just tend to be.. scared of me I guess. I may be well-known, but thats only because of the rumors that people hear.

"So Max.. How'd your night with Chris go?" Iggy asked.

"All I can say is that he needs to brush his teeth. I had to power-wash my mouth and body after that! Worst dare ever, Iggs."

"It was probably the best night of his life! Plus, I love myself for that idea..." I punched Iggy hard on his shoulder.

"Owww! That hurt, Max!" Iggy yelled right before shutting up to check out some random girl's ass.

"You have no shame, Iggy. At least TRY to be discrete when you check some girl out!" I told him.

"Whats the fun in that?" Iggy asked, sincerely confused. Right then the bell rang.

"Common, class time anyways," I yelled, dragging Iggy along by his arm.

As soon as I entered the class, I noticed something different. I quickly looked around, and then spotted the difference. A very, VERY good looking guy was sitting in the back with a slutty-looking red head. He was wearing all black, and I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was emo. I poked Iggy's arm.

"Hey, Iggy, who's that guy?"

"Dunno, Max, he must be new," Iggy answered in a monotone voice. Guess that he suddenly decided it was too early in the morning to speak or think clearly. I started to get up, before spoke out.

"Maxine, sit back in your seat. Class is starting."

I gritted my teeth in anger. "For the last time, Greeny, the name is MAX. Second of all, its a free country. There is no law that prohibits me from standing. This is a free country, Mr. Greens!" I yelled while walking up to his desk and slapping my hand on the wooden finish. Half the class started snickering.

" , please just sit down. I have no patience to deal with your nonsense today," Mr. Greensboro said in the exact same voice as Iggy had before. Feeling victorious and complacent, I sat down.

"Alright then class. I have a lot of plans for this group, so today I will start by assigning your first major project." Half the class now groaned, because the other half were probably occupied with texting, sleeping, or who knows what. "Since majority of you failed last years test on the human anatomy, I will be pairing you up for a presentation on your assigned organ. You will be expected to give a full presentation complete with an essay and a slideshow."

I subconsciencley started bouncing my leg up and down, making a thwacking noise with my boots and started wandering off into space.

"Nick and Max, you'll be doing the coccyx," were 's words that brought me out of my dreams.

Who's Nick? And more importantly, what the fuck is a "coccyx"?

I put two and two together and came to the conclusion that Nick was the hot, emo new guy. But seriously, coccyx? I am going to fail this project. I waited till Mr. Greensboro finished listing off the rest of the group.  
~~

**Fang POV**

As soon as paired me with the girl named Max, I heard Lissa suck in a angry breath and curse. She must really hate Max.

"Hello! I'm Max," the girl said while bounding over to my desk. She didn't say anything after that, because she and Lissa were currently having a glaring contest that could kill in a instant.

I cleared my throat, immediately interrupting the two. "Hey. Call me Fang."

"Ok, so how about we meet tonight.. 10 o'clock? I'm busy till 9 with sports. After we can figure out what the hell a "coccyx" is." Max explained, unintentionally flashing me while she leaned over my desk.

"Umm.. sure... yeah." I stuttered, still keeping my eyes on the sight in front of me. Max looked down to see what I was so deeply interested in.

"Ok then. See ya," Max said, smirking at the fact that I could be so easily dazed. I mean, what 17-year-old guy wouldn't? I watched her retreating figure stalk back to her own desk, where she immediately started chatting with the blonde guy.

~~  
**Theres the first chapter! Tell me what you think, and comment! Based on that I will decide whether or not to continue the story. I have a lot of ideas for this, but I love writing for an audience.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Fang POV**

It was now 10:30. Max was supposed to be here a half hour ago. I lazily lay on my bed, finished with my other homework two hours earlier. Sighing, I got up and walked over to my desk where my computer stood. I turned on the ancient power button and the mummy-old machine came to life. Dragging the mouse in circles on the screen, I decided to text some old friends before I heard a strange noise.

I looked over my shoulder and spotted a dark figure at the window. Crap. Grabbing a near by baseball bat I took position against a wall. The window creaked open very slowly and a blonde girl tumbled in. Max? I dropped the bat.

"What? Was the door too mainstream for you? Or is it simply more trouble to ring a door bell than climb two stories to crawl through a window?" I retorted.

"Nah, its just much cooler and waaayyy more impressive. Now, how about some snacks before we get started?" Max said while observing my room.  
"You are a strange, strange girl. Follow me, kitchen is downstairs."

I led her out of my room and down the 13 steps (yes, I counted) to the first floor of my house.

"Where is your family?" Max asked, noticing the quietness of the house.

"My sister is at a friends, and my parents are away on a business trip."

"So we're like, all alone?" Max further pushed, a smirk settling on her face.

"Let's just eat," I sighed while putting a frozen pizza in the oven. I set out two plates on the counter top.

"Whaddya want to drink? Soda? Water?"

"Do you have beer?" Max asked, as if it was a perfectly normal thing for a 17-year-old girl to ask.

"What the fuck Max?! No, I do not and WILL NOT give you beer!"

"What? I want some beer," Max said sternly, putting her hands on her hips and her face growing angry.

"You're getting coke," I stated as I handed her a filled glass and a plate with pizza slices. Max grumbled to herself before biting into a pepperoni slice.

"So... Tell me about yourself. I just met you, and I'm alone at your house," Max asked with curiosity.

"Tell me about yourself. I hear you've slept with just about everyone," I snorted.

"Except for onnneeee!" Max shrilled, a goofy look spreading all over her face while she wriggled her eyebrows. Even though the idea was tempting, I shook it out.

"No Max."

"Hey look, its not like I trick them. I always make it clear what I want," Max said, suddenly becoming serious. "I'm not that dirty."

"Whatever Max," I mumbled before taking a final swig of my milk and then heading upstairs. Just then, the door bust open. The blonde kid from before came in.

"Woah! You haven't slept with this guy yet? I was expecting to come in to a full-blown sex party! Good job Max, thats a record!"

I immediately came down the stairs.

"Hey, I hinted it, but he wouldn't take the bait."

"Max?" I asked.

"Uh-huh?"

"Who is this stranger in my house?"

"Oh, right! Sorry, this is Iggy. He WASN'T supposed to come here," Max said, accusingly staring at Iggy. I was so confused.

"Shall we begin our project?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure, hold on. Let me trash my napkin. Where's your trashcan?"

"Under the sink."

Meanwhile Iggy checked out his best friends ass as she leaned over. I tried very hard not to.

"Iggy! No looking at my behind!" Max yelled, slapping Iggy's arm. Iggy just chuckled.

"What about every other guy who has?" Iggy asked.

"Well, I slept with them, so its ok!"

"Not fair!" Iggy protested. Now I was getting freaked out here.

"I'll be right upstairs. Whenever you've settled this important topic, feel free to come up," I sighed, dragging my feet up the stairs.

**Max POV**

"Iggy! Why'd you have to scare him off like that?" I asked, heading up the stairs as well.

"Cause its funny, thats why. You shoulda seen the look on his face when I said we slept together," Iggy garbled while stuffing his mouth with pizza and following me.

"I think I'm gonna barf. Thank god we didn't. I might just have to remove my reproductive organs if we did," I said while crinkling my nose at the thought. I pushed open the door of Fang's room. It was odd to see that it was painted a light beige for someone who wore so much black.

"We're ready Fang."

"Ok, so I googled up "coccyx". Turns out its basically your tailbone." Fang told me.

"What? Was it too complex to simply call it "tailbone"?" I asked, jumping onto the queen sized bed that sported dark navy blue covers. Iggy joined me.

"Coccyx. Coccyx. Coccyx." Iggy repeated over and over till I slapped an arm over his mouth. "Shut up Iggs."

"You gonna take notes, or let me do all the work?" I asked. I walked behind him and bent far enough so that my breathing was right in his ear. I started tracing my fingers up and down his arms. Damn! He was so buff! But I accomplished my mission because I noticed that his breaths were become very short and choppy. Iggy saw what I was doing, and was trying his best to contain his laughter.

"M-Max?" Fang asked.

"Yess, Fang?" I responded in that suave voice I could so perfectly pull.

"What are you doing?" Fang further questioned. I continued to trace patterns, before nibbling his ear. His breathing hitched more. Suddenly I couldn't contain my laughter and my time was over anyways.

"Bahaha! You owe me 5 bucks Iggy! I made him stutter in less than a minute!" I exclaimed. Iggy was turning bright red from all the laughing, and Fang's tan face had taken on a pinkish tinge. He didn't say anything, but just looked very pissed off.

"Are we going to just sit here and play jokes, or actually do our work?" Fang interrupted, the pink fading away and being replaced by furrowed, angry eyes.

"Common Iggs, this guy is no fun. Let's hit a club" I groaned, dragging Iggy away and out of the room.

"I'LL BE BACK ON THURSDAY FANG!" I yelled before slamming the front door.

It was 8:30 in the morning. My alarm clock very arrogantly told me so.. except it very late for its scheduled beeping. I picked it up and threw it across the dark room. I heard it slam into the wall and watched it form yet another dent in the beaten wall.

"Damn itttt.." I groaned. It was way too early for me to be waking up when I had been at a club till 3 AM the previous night. Rolling out of bed I dropped onto the floor. Stumbling to my feet, I walked over to my drawer and picked out my clothes for the day before showering.

I entered the building of the school and calmly walked my way through the empty and silent halls to my locker. I started slamming my stuff into my locker, pushing and shoving till it all fit in. A small piece of paper fell out one of my books and floated its way to the floor. I picked it up. It was a picture of my mom.

The paper immediately brought tears to my eyes. Thats when I took a closer look at the paper. A huge red heart encircled my late-mothers face, with a angry X in the dead center. My anger suddenly hitched up. I turned the paper over and found that a piece of paper with printed words was glued to the back.

_Someone you know,_  
_Is responsible for a loved-ones death_  
_You loved her, _  
_But now she is gone._  
_Now please have a good day! :D_

I angrily clutched the picture, and looked around the halls. This had to be someones idea of a joke. Some random senior boy was walking past. I grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him into the lockers, shoving my mouth onto his. He immediately responded by grabbing my hips and pulling my closer. I let the boy's sloppy kissing distract me from the impeding thoughts that were forcing their way into my conscious mind. Then I realized what I was doing, detached myself from the guy in front of me, and continued on my way to the 3rd period class that was just about to start. The poor guy I had just left looked on in extreme, deep confusion.

~~  
**Fang POV**

I watched as Max stormed her way into the classroom, anger burning off her. She sat down in the seat next to me and I watched her break some #2 pencils, one by one. Her perfectly straight, white teeth were grit in anger. Her leg bounced up and down at a speedy pace. I poked her arm. She flinched as if we were still in the 2nd grade and I had cooties.

"Yo, Max. What's wrong?" I whispered, leaning over to her so she could hear me better.

"Absolutely. Nothing." Max nearly yelled with each breath. I shushed her.

"Ms. Ride? Is something wrong?" our english teacher, Mrs. Williams asked sweetly. No one, not even Max, could hate her.

"I'm fine, Miss. Just a little distracted."

"Better get back and focus then, alright?" said gently. Anyone could sense Max's anger.

Max continued snapping pencils, before she resorted to drawing, which was a lot less destructive than breaking some poor pencils. She began to draw a bird. I poked her arm again. She turned around and glared at me.

"Max, seriously. Whats wrong?" I asked cautiously.

"Nothing Fang, nothing," Max said quietly, before exiting the classroom when the class ended.

**Max POV**

I swear to god, I will KILL whoever put that picture in my book. I hadn't told anyone. Anyone but Iggy! As I jumped from conclusion to conclusion, I started to angrily search for Iggy.

As soon as I found the blonde kid I grabbed his arm and shoved him against a wall, much like I did to that senior but for a completely different purpose. I stood up on my tippy toes to get leveled with his hight.

"Was it you? Did you do it? Is this some sort of sick idea of yours? Did you tell anybody?!" I spat at him. Iggy looked actually confused.

"What? I have no idea what you are talking about. Whats wrong, Max?" Iggy asked, concern and worry evident in his eyes.

"You sure it wasn't you?" I asked, still suspicious, but loosening my grip on him.

"I don't even know what you're talking about, Max. Is everything alright?" he continued on. I let go of him completely. Looking around to see if anyone was watching us, I slipped the photo out of my back pocket and showed it to him. His blue eyes immediately softened.

"And look on the back." I said, turning the photo over.

"What? What the fuck is that?" Iggy whispered loudly, clenching and unclenching his fists. Now I was sure he didn't do it.

"I dunno. I found it in one of my books, and it just slipped out."

"Maybe its someone's sick idea of a joke?" Iggy asked.

"If I found out who did this, I will personally make sure they lose the ability to have children," I hissed, stashing the photo away and walking off.

**Tada! Yes, I'm a little short on homework so I had lots of time to write. I have ERB's all this week as well so I will finally feel like a 10 year old again.. no homework! **

**Again, comment and review. I'm going to write a few more chapters to give the story a chance and see if it picks up. **

**And thanks to that one person who followed the story.. you're the first!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Fang POV**

It was now the weekend. Twelve oclock at the moment, and I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. I groaned as I hurled my upper torso forward so that I was sitting up straight. After a few more seconds of indecision I peeled away the warm covers and walked out of my room and down the stairs. I immediately noticed the absence of the house, because unlike me the rest of my family enjoyed waking up at ridiculous hours in the morning. As if on cue, Ella suddenly came barging in through the door in her jogging outfit.

"Hey Fang. Mom and Dad are away visiting some clients the entire day. Just to let ya know."

"Alright, thanks Els," I mumbled, yawing directly after. Ella ran up the stairs. Just then, the door rang. I ignored it. It rang again. And again. And.. again.

"Get away whoever you are! We don't want to buy your products!" I yelled angrily. The bell rang again, followed by a rapid knocking.

**Max POV**

I kept ringing and banging the door repeatedly, but every living thing inside refused to answer.

"FANG! I know you're in there!" I yelled. The door immediately opened to reveal a very pissed off, sleepy, and still-in-his-way-too-tight pajamas Fang. He squinted at the sudden burst of light from the sun.

"Wha? Max? What are you doing here?"

"To work on our project, dumb ass. Whaddya do, just wake up?"

"No, I've been awake for four hours now. I just happen to look like this every single day," Fang joked, while motioning for me to come in. I waltzed in like I owned the place.

"Ohh.. that explains a lot. No wonder!" I cried out, faking the extreme surprise in my voice.

"Argh, just give me a minute to get dressed. Stay down here."

"Ok!" I said innocently. As soon as Fang disappeared into the bathroom I tip-toed up the stairs and into his room. Once again I flung myself onto his bed. Then I got up again and started walking around the room, observing the many sports awards and the endless pictures of his family.

"Max?" Fang called from in the bathroom.

"Yeah?" I yelled back.

"Are you in my room? I thought I told you to stay downstairs!"

"Too late!" I said in dramatic glee as Fang walked into the room.

~~4 hours later~~

"Fang.. are we done yet?" I groaned, staring at the ceiling. I could not stay still for this long. In a quick second decision I opened the window and jumped onto the nearest tree branch.

"Max?! Where the hell are you going?!" Fang shrieked, leaning out the window and looking at me.

"I got bored. Lets go do something fun. Wanna go to a day-club?" I shrugged, making my way down the big oak.

"Day club? I didn't even know such things existed!" Fang said, clearly stressing out now.

"You coming or not?" I yelled from the ground below.

"Fine, hold on."

Took Fang a whole 5 minutes to grab his coat and come downstairs. Slow poke, this guy here.

"Common, I'm driving." Fang tossed me his keys and I climbed into the leather seats of Fang's black Mercedes. Figures.

By the time we arrived, there was already a whole line waiting outside the club.

"A "day club" is this popular?" Fang asked, eyeing the huge line of people.

"It's also a night club. Its actually a 24/7 club. And don't worry 'bout the line, I know someone. Heres your keys," I stated, chucking the keys at Fang.

**Fang POV**

Max approached the guys at the bouncer, and immediately both men opened the door while saying; "Welcome back, Baby Maxi!"

"How do you know those dudes?" I asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it, just have fun."

I didn't say anything else after that as Max led us through the huge club. All the lights were turned out excluding the disco one, and all windows covered. It may as well have been night. Max grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bar.

"Two of the usual," Max told the bartender, holding up two fingers.

"Uhh, actually just one," I told him quickly.

"You against drinking or something?" Max asked me as she waited for her drink.

"When I'm the one thats going to be driving," I told her, leaning against a corner wall. When the bartender came back with a hell of a drink, Max's eyes lit up. Then my anger flared when the bartender placed the drink far enough so that Max would have to bend over and give the guy a full-view inside her shirt. I quickly grabbed it and handed it to her. She gave me a strange look as she practically downed the thing.

"'Nother one please!" Max chirped to the bartender. He happily filled her another. She downed that one too in 10 seconds flat. The process was repeated 3 more times until Max could barely annunciate her request for yet another.

At that exact same moment, two older looking guys came over. Max looked up at them and giggled.

"Hiiiiiiii *hiccup* boyysss." Max followed the two men. I stayed where I was, and just watched the whole club. Everyone here was either high, drunk, or both. Except for me. Coupleswere going at it in the dark corners of the room. And by then I couldn't find Max anywhere.

I frantically started searching for the drunk Max, but she was nowhere to be found. I went up to the bartender.

"Hey dude, have you by any chance seen the blonde girl I was with earlier?" I asked.

"Sorry to say I haven't. She's hot!" the unashamed guy told me, winking. I mentally gagged and started searching the entire place again. I spotted a nearly naked blonde with two other guys. I quickly ran up to the group.

"Max!" I yelled. Max turned around and I quickly told myself to only look at her eyes.

"Common Max, we have to go. This is too dangerous." I told her in a calm voice. Her giddy bubbliness quickly turned to anger.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Max yelled, stomping her feet. I grabbed her hand and started guiding her towards the exit. Then she ripped her hand out of mine.

"No! You're not in charge of me, I can do what ever the hell I want. Leave me be, I can handle myself. Just go home!" Max angrily screamed, jabbing me in the chest. That was when I decided to hurl her over my shoulder and walk to the car. She shrieked the entire way, and fought me when I tried to buckle her into the backseat.

"Max, listen. You're not thinking straight," I calmly told her as we drove off.

"Sure I am!" Max giggled, completely changing attitudes in a split second. This was going to be a interesting ride back home.

Max currently was stretching out on my bed, her upper body hanging out as she lay with closed and pained eyes. In other words, she was having a hangover.

"Dammit Fang, why didn't you warn me?"

I continued with my computer research, seeing that Max would never get any of it done. Go figures.

"Do you have any Advil, Fang?"

"Yeah, sure, let me go get it," I told her, swirling out of my chair and venturing down the steps to the medicine cabinet. When I came back, Max was wearing some of my clothes.

"Max, what are you doing in my clothes?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"I got cold."

"You never cease to intrigue me," I said, shaking my head and tossing her the small bottle of Advil and handing her a glass of water. She downed two. I continued collecting a gallery of pictures for our presentation.

Twenty minutes passed by. I was utterly surprised at the odd quietness of the room. I turned around. Max was lightly snoring face down on my bed, snuggled up in my comforter. I sighed. At least she would hopefully feel better when she woke up. Then she could actually try and help me.

I swirled around in my desk chair, so that I was now facing the room as opposed to the desk and computer. A pile of Max's clothes lay at the foot of my bed. A small piece of paper stuck out the back pocket of her jeans. Curious, I went over and picked it up.

The tiny wallet-sized photo strikingly resembled Max herself. A woman somewhere in between her thirties and forties smiled back at me. She had the exact same eyes and smile that Max did, but brown hair sported her head instead of blond. It looked like the mother I've never seen. But that wasn't the strange part of the photo. The woman was encircled in a red ink with a cross going straight through her.

Thinking ahead, I quickly stuck the photo back into Max's pants, assembling it so it looked like the way I found it. It was obviously meant to be hidden and looked like it had sentimental value. I would ask about Max's family later when I got the chance.

**To anyone whos actually reading this.. I'd love it if you left comments and feed back. Its the great part of writing a story! So, I'm gonna start itty bitty and put on a minimum of 2 comments till the next chapter. Gonna increase it later. Doesn't matter if its a full blown speech or random garble (EX: fjhagsfkjgkw). Just has to be something!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I started writing as soon as I got the notification!**

* * *

**Fang POV**

I walked into the school, and walked up to Max.

"Hey Fang, thanks for letting me stay over yesterday, my dad woulda killed me if I came home drunk again,"

"No problem. Does it happen a lot?" I asked her seriously. Max just grinned and said sheepishly; "Yeah."

"Its gonna cost you one day," I told her, looking at her straight in the eyes to let her know that I meant it. Max's happy attitude suddenly disappeared.

"Look Fang, I understand that you're worried, but I know what I'm getting in to. I don't need someone to follow me around criticizing my actions, 'k?" Max hissed and followed up by angrily walking away from me and to her first class. I just stood there as the halls became empty.

**Max POV**

I lay in my bed and stared at the tiny photo in my hand, trying to make sense of it. Every time I focused in on the red marks, my anger rose to its maximum level.

I kept thinking; who would do this? Who could have possibly found out about her? I certainly didn't tell anyone, and I'm fairly certain that Iggy didn't either.

Pushing the thought into the depths of my mind and the photo into the depths of my bedside cabinet, I got off the bed and prepared to go meet up with Iggy at an ice cream place.

"Yo Igs! I'm here. I want a chocolate mint chip sunday."

"You order a full sunday, you fully pay Max. I said desert, not a feast!" Iggy told me with a goofy look on his face.

"I know, thats why I brought my own money," I grinned, pulling out a couple of tens. Iggy looked skeptical.

"Geez, what do you plan on buying here Max, a prostitute?" Iggy joked, faking a face of utter concern.

"Maybe you want to, but not me. I just want my ice cream!" I said. After I ordered the ice cream I took a glance towards the door and spotted a familiar dark figure walking towards us.

"Hey Nudge! Whatchya doing here?" I asked her. Not that I minded the friendly african-american, but I was just curious.

"Iggy told me that you two would be here after school, so I decided to come when I got too bored. Is anyone else coming?" Nudge asked, sliding into the seat next to me.

"Nah. Do you want me to order something for you, Nudge?" Iggy asked. My mouth dropped open.

"What!? That's totally unfair. You pay for her but not me? Thats cold dude, thats cold," I commented, shaking my head back and forth like I was disappointed.

"Well Nudge isn't the one who wanted to order the hugest ice cream ever," Iggy pointed out, grinning at me. Whenever I came here I always did order a half-pound mint chocolate chip sunday, so it wasn't just any sunday. Right then the waiter came with said sunday. He was cute. As he handed me the bowl I lightly brushed his hand with mine on purpose. He winked as he walked away. Iggy and Nudge stayed silent till he was out of ear-range.

"Wow Max, you flirt with anything that carries two balls. You should be ashamed," Nudge told me, giggling.

"Except me. Fucks everyone but me," Iggy muttered, so low that I could barely hear him.

"Sorry, what was that Igs? You want me to screw around with my best friend? Hmm, last that I recall, its not normal to sleep with someone thats as close as a brother," I snickered, wrapping an arm around him and giving him a side hug with my half eaten ice cream in one hand. Iggy instantly turned red, not realizing that I could hear him.

"Uhh.. so, did you hear about Pluto? Now thats messed up," Iggy stumbled, instantly changing the topic to something ridiculous. Nudge laughed.

"I'll screw around with you Igs!" Nudge purred, climbing over onto Iggy's lap. Iggy instantly responded to her.

"Ew, guys, go get a room!" I gagged, pushing the two away. They eagerly went into the bathroom.

"You go get her, tiger!" I yelled as soon as the door shut. The cute waiter came back, and as soon as he did I grabbed his collar and gave him a full blown kiss before dragging him off into my very private car.

I had been making out with the waiter I met back at the ice cream place. There was something very familiar about him. As I lay on his stomach kissing him, I ran my hands through his hair. There was some sort of weird substance covering the dark brown head. I stopped kissing him and got up to look at my hands. They were coated in the same brown stuff that his hair had. I quickly got out of the car, and dragged the guy named Jason inside the store. Upon closer inspection I noticed that the roots of his head were in fact blonde. I looked closer at the guys eyes and finally noticed the brown contacts. Not to mention the skillfully done makeup.

"Trevis?" I angrily asked him, finally recognizing the ex in front of me.

"See Max? See how great we are together? Finally realize the huge mistake you made by breaking up with me?" Trevis smirked.

"Mistake? You're a pedophile! You flirted with that six year old on our first date! You're sick! I made one of the best choices ever by breaking up with you! Get the hell out!' I snapped at Trevis. He looked crestfallen, before a look of deep anger overcame his eyes.

"No Max, that was a big mistake, and now you're going to pay," Travis hissed, grabbing my arm and dragging me outside into the nearest ally. He shoved me against a brick wall and roughly kissed me while pinning my arms above me and my lower body with his.

Having no use of my limbs, I threw my head back before slamming it into his with a huge crack. He instantly let go of me entirely and crumbled to the ground in a ball, clutching his bleeding head. Just then, Iggy ran over.

"Max? Are you ok? What happened?!"

"The son of a bitch tried to force himself onto me, before I used my noggin," I smirked, knocking a fist against my head to demonstrate.

"How'd you knock him out?" Iggy asked, looking over at the guy with astonishment.

"Milk," I shrugged. Since I was a kid I drank milk by the gallon, and over the time my bones became unbelievably strong.

"Ah. He had it coming. Lets go."

Before walking away, I spit on Trevis and laughed.  
"That was your biggest mistake, you oaf."

**Fang POV**

I met up with Max in class, as we were about to give our presentation on the coccyx. I had made a full detailed report, while Max did shit.

"Ok Fang, so what am I going to say?" Max asked me. I gave her a dead-pan look.

"Here. You're going to read whatever is in blue, and I'm in black. I'll be playing a slideshow during the essay reading," I told her, giving in and just wanting a good grade. Max just nodded and looked at the paper.

"Hello everyone. This is our report on the coccyx," I greeted the class.

Let me just say for the record, Max is really good at making people believe that she knows a topic to its full extent, when in reality she knows bird poop. She gave that presentation like she spent hours on it and wrote it herself before memorizing it.

"That went pretty well. Good work partner!" Max said, slapping me on the back. I grit my teeth.

"I know who I'll never be working with again," I mumbled to myself. Max walked ahead to go talk to Iggy and some other girl. At the same time, Lissa walked up to me.

"Hey Fang! How's your week going?" Lissa chirped. I was happy to have someone else so happy and innocent talk to me.

"Fine. Yours?" I asked.

"Its been good. Yesterday I went shopping and got two new pairs of shoes! They were on sale, you know. I also got a B+ on a English project..." Lissa went on and on. I listened to her as I walked to my next class.

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**Thats it for now! I'm not totally happy with how it turned out, but its ok for now. Review and comment! For the next chapter I will be requiring 4 comments. Go go go! I have people favoriting, but not commenting! I do that a lot too, but its bad! Its so nice to have people comment! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello all!**

**I dedicate this chapter to user 'MaximumRidetotheMax'.Your reviews made my day! See everyone? Thats a model commentor (lol, it should be a real word even though my ipad says otherwise) right there for you. Btw, which story? Nah, you know what? I'll read both! **

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**Fang POV**

Its Friday and today are basketball tryouts.. I've heard that its really hard to get in because lots of people play. And unlike my previous school, the teams are co-gender. I'm really interested to see how this turns out. It was 3:15 in the afternoon and tryouts start at 3:30. I started running to the locker rooms to change into my old school's basketball uniform.

I entered the big gym and took note of the dozens of kids waiting on the bleachers. I spotted Max, Iggy, and Nudge and sat down next to them.

"So, on a scale of one to ten, how hard do you think it is to get in?" Iggy asked Max.

"Probably a 11," Max shrugged. A nearby boy paled. "Oh, hey Fang. You trying out too?"

"Nice grammar. And no, I'm just here for the heck of it!" I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"Hey Fang! Nice meeting you again! Do you know how hard it is to get in? I think thats because of all the kids that want to try. I wonder why there are so many people here this year. Last year there were barely any. Its weird. What do you think? OH! I forgot to tell you! Me and Iggy are together! Actually its Iggy and I. Sorry, bad gra-"

Nudge got cut off by Max, who promptly sealed Nudge's mouth closed with her hand. "Sorry, sometimes I think she takes steroids," Max chuckled.

Nudge's eyes went wide with contradiction. Right then Max squealed and removed her hand, wiping it on her jeans.

"Ewww, Nudge! You didn't have to lick me!"

"For your information Max, I do not take steroids! My parents already looked everywhere for evidence cause its apparently the only explanation for talking a lot. But I can assure you they found none, cause I don't touch it! Thats unfair, Max," Nudge babbled on. Right then, a pair of identical looking people came down and sat next to me. They both had bright blue eyes that shined, pale skin, and beach-blonde hair. Even though the girls hair came down in curls and the boys was spiked with gel.

"Hey Gazzy. Hey Angel. Are you both trying out for basketball?" Iggy asked the two newcomers. More and more kids kept filing in through the two huge doors at the side of the gym. The noise level kept rising, and you had to shout to be heard by the people next to you.

"Yup. Care to introduce us to this dark guy?" the boy named Gazzy asked, jerking a thumb at my direction.

"Hey! This is Fang. He recently got transferred to here. Fang, this is Gazzy and Angel. They're twins and are in our grade," Max shouted.

"Hey," I said, shaking both their hands. Right then, an air horn was blown and the entire gym was silenced in those two seconds. Now the slightest whisper could be heard by all.

"Welcome! I'm Anne Walker, the varsity coach. Since there are so many of you trying out, you will be split by the grade. Freshman, please gather in the top right hand corner, Juniors to the bottom right hand corner, sophomore to the top left corner, and seniors to the bottom left corner. Go now!" a middle aged women shouted. Everyone climbed off the bleachers and into their designated corner. The freshman corner was by far the largest.

Currently it was the juniors turn to use the court, and I was running laps around the gym. I used my long legs to my advantage and pushed off the floor in large leaps.

"Ok, now I'm going to test your shooting skills. Form two lines at mid-court, and put all the basketballs on the left line. You will be shooting in pairs. Lefties, dribble the ball until you get to the basket, and then pass to the righties who will shoot. When you're done, switch lines. Got it? Go!" Coach Walker yelled.

I was paired with some junior girl whom I didn't know. As she dribbled the ball to the basket, I ran with her and prepared to be passed to and to shoot. As soon as she bounced me the ball I jumped and nearly dunk the ball in. I heard Iggy whoop. I then passed the ball back to the left line before joining it.

Now it was Max's turn to shoot. I didn't think she'd played basketball. She looked more like a soccer player. She was dressed in a dark blue jersey with the number 28 on the back, and some neon green shorts. As she was passed the ball, she did something completely out of the ordinary. Instead of shooting it four feet away from the basket, she dribbled it all the way back to mid-court and stopped in the center circle. Some people started chuckling and snickering.

There was absolutely no way she could do this. She was going to embarrass herself. Half the kids could barely shoot from 4 feet away. If she makes this shot I will never anyones skills again. I watched on in slow motion as Max jumped and shot the ball forward, a confident look on her face. The entire group of kids turned heads in unison as the ball flew over them and fell with a neat swish into the basket. Instead of parading around in celebration, Max just smirked and made her way to the left line. Even the coach's mouth hung open in shot.

Slowly, ever so slowly, people resumed the shooting again and started to recover from the shock.

"Wow Max! I never knew you were so good at basketball! How come you didn't try out the other years?" Angel asked as the entire group walked towards the board where the team lists were supposedly displayed.

"Didn't feel like it," Max shrugged. How could she just shrug?! My thoughts aside I stared at the board, looking for my name.

Max Ride

Cameron Gracefields

James Griffith

Monique Tresses

Emma Tods

Zeypher Crisree

Angel Crisree

Nick Martinez

I stopped reading as soon as I saw my name listed. I actually smiled, and congratulated everybody else.

"YES! I made it! I'm so happy!" Angel squealed, jumping around in circles with her blonde hair flying.

"ZOMG I made it too! Everyone did! Isn't this GREAT!? We can hang out all together everyday now! We HAVE to celebrate!" Nudge screamed, starting to jump around with Angel.

"Yeah, can we have a movie night? I haven't had one of those in forever," Max grinned. She looked like she really wanted to scream and jump around with Angel and Nudge.

"We can all go over to my house. Its free tonight, besides my twin sister Ella," I told them.

"You have a twin sister? ZOMG!" Nudge shrieked.

"You haven't experienced one of OUR movie nights yet, Fang. They're awesome. And they're sorta like Flock initiation," Iggy said, slapping me on the back.

"Flock?" I asked.

"We kinda call ourselves the Flock, because we've stuck together since we were tiny children. You're the first new one in years," Gazzy explained sheepishly.

"Well, if we're going to have a movie night, we need supplies. OFF TO THE NEAREST CVS, PEOPLE! Follow me!" Max yelled, pointing towards the parking lot. Since Max and I were the only ones with cars, we split the "Flock" up between genders. Gazzy, Iggy, and I all piled in and followed Max's car.

As soon as we entered the CVS, Nudge screamed and ran off to the makeup section, pulling Angel along.

"SO. MUCH. EYESHADOW." I heard Nudge whisper-scream from between the aisles.

"Candy!" Max yelled, running off like a zombie to the candy-filled isles. I joined her. Gazzy and Iggy went off in search of chips and soda.

"They still have it! Have you ever tried Chocolate Rain?" Max asked, holding up a candy bag.

"No. What is it?" I asked as Max piled five bags of it into the shopping cart.

"Are you telling me you've never heard of Chocolate Rain? Holy shit there must be something wrong with you!" Max yelled, piling three more bags into the cart. She grabbed some gummy worms along with them.

"Do you actually end up eating all of this?" I asked, pointing to the pounds of candy and chocolate in the cart.

"Hmm.. let me think. We have 7 full-blown, candy-loving teenagers to feed all night, I wonder if this is going to be enough.." Max said, pretending to think about it.

"Yeah, ok, you've gotta point," I chuckled. Just then Nudge and Angel came speeding towards us, holding various containers and sticks of makeup. They dumped it all in the already-filled cart.

"You know you're paying for all that," Max pointed out.

"We know!" Nudge and Angel chirped in unison. Iggy and Gazzy also joined, holding several bags of chips and two packages of Mountain Dew. They dumped it all in too. Max proceeded to shove the ten-billion-pound cart to the checkout. The cashier's eyes grew in worry.

Everyone started to pile the various items from the cart onto the counter. The cashier frantically tried to keep up, scanning the items quickly as possible and stuffing them into bags. I watched as the price went higher and higher.

"Are you sure you can pay for all this Max?" I asked, pointing at the price.

"Oh yeah. Definitely," Max confirmed, handing the cashier her credit card.

As we piled up into our cars, Max looked at the very long receipt.

"Nudge. Angel. You owe me exactly $103.47 for all that makeup."

"Sure Max. We'll give it to you tomorrow," Angel nodded. I just stared.

When we arrived at my house, everyone stopped to stare and look at it. I guess I kinda forgot to tell them I lived in a heck of a mansion.

"Alright, we're here. Follow me," I instructed as I fumbled for the house key while carrying two heavy bags. As soon as I unlocked it I headed downstairs to the basement.

"Els! I'm home! I have some friends over for a movie night! Wanna join?" I yelled as I set the bags I was carrying down on the fluffy carpet. I flicked on the light to reveal a huge plasma HD flatscreen complete with a excellent sound system and a X-Box. Even Max gaped now.

"Yes! I was so bored... woah. Did you say 'some' friends? You shoulda said many. Anyways, hi everybody! I'm Ella, Fang's sister." Everyone stopped to look at her. And me. And then her again.

"Wow! You two look identical! The dark version of Angel and Gazzy! Yin and Yang! Its scary.." Iggy chuckled.

"ZOMG hi Ella I'm Nudge! Glad to meet you! Another girl to do makeup with! Max would murder us if we tried on her. Angel and I just bought a whole bag of supplies! Wanna join?" Nudge squealed. Ella immediately lit up and started babbling with her and looking through said bag with Angel.

"Ella, this is Angel, Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge, and Max. So what movie do you guys wanna watch?" I asked.

"What do you have?" Max asked, hands on her hips.  
"Anything and everything on Netflix. Got any suggestions?" I offered.

"Ooh, lets watch 'Brains of the Dead'!" Iggy suggested. Max scoffed.

"That should be considered a movie for 5 year olds. How about 'Cross Fire'?" Max said.

"Can we watch 'LOL'?" Nudge interrupted. Gazzy, Iggy, Max and I all shook our heads in unison.

"What about 'Guns of the Insane'?" I offered. It was the scariest movie I've watched. Max's eyes instantly lit up as she jumped up and down in agreement. Gazzy, Iggy, and Ella did too.

I turned off the lights, bust open the food bags, and put on the movie. Max and I sat in the love seat, Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy on the larger couch, and Ella and Angel sat on some fluffy pillows that lay on the floor.

The movie started rather intense. It took place in the cliche abandoned insane asylum. But it was recently made, so the graphics were crazy good. A group of armed people were walking through the halls, when the first zombie-ghost appeared.

Ella, Angel, and Nudge did not hesitate to scream as the creature took down and killed the first victim. Max looked on with interest, but didn't even flinch like Iggy did. I didn't do anything because I've seen the movie ten times.

The movie was action packed and halfway through I noticed that there were barely any candy bars yet. Just as I bent to reach for a Mountain Dew, I felt something shoved into my mouth.

"Here, just try it," Max whispered. I chewed on the bar as a flavor burst of chocolate, almonds, and caramel flooded my mouth. I instantly wanted more.

"Like it?" Max whispered. I nodded my head vigorously. Max grinned and just turned back around to face the TV screen.

I glanced over at my other friends and noticed that Nudge was snuggling into Iggy's chest, sometimes jumping and cuddling deeper into Iggy's chest. They looked cute together.

Angel and Ella just stared at the screen, sipping their sodas and munching on their chips.

As the truly gruesome part of the movie played, even Max started jumping and flinching. I think that I even heard her squeak. I grinned to myself. Even people like Max could be scared.

When the movie finally ended, I clicked a button on the coffee table and the lights came up. I looked down and noticed the position of Max and I. Max had gradually moved bit by bit so that she was snuggled between my legs and against my chest. I coughed.

Max immediately noticed our position and got up, clearing her throat.

"So guys, how'd it go?" Max asked the group, avoiding my eyes.

"That was scary!" Angel exclaimed, getting up and stretching. Nudge nodded in agreement, for the first time not speaking.

"Don't worry Angel, over time you learn to get used to the scary parts. Then you won't be scared, like me!" Max chucked, hugging Angel. I coughed again.

"You didn't seem so brave just a few seconds ago, Maxie!' I smirked. Max huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Well, bed time folks! Its 3 am," I shouted as I took out the sleeping bags. Ella moved the furniture out of the way so I could lay them down.

Everyone was dead asleep, except for Max and I. We both were barely awake.

"Max, tell me about your family," I mumbled.

"Why?"

"I'm just curious," I whispered, trying to keep my eyes open.

"Ok. Well, my mom died when I was about 13-14. Died in a boating accident. I'm an only child, and I live with my dad. Thats all there is to say," Max barely whispered, sleep almost taking over.

"Did you love your Mom?" I gently asked. Sleeping Max was very truthful and honest.

"A lot," Max said before finally succumbing to the sleep.

**This is a lonnggg chapter.. Should hold you guys till next time. See ya!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews! Now responses to the first two reviews!**  
**MaximumRidetotheMax: Your long, Nudge-like posts make me smile. And after reading your profile I think I have finally met someone who can rival my obsession of Maximum Ride. xD**

**Moonshroom420: Lol, yes, the coccyx is the weirdest name ever for an organ. And no, Max isn't actually a slut.. but she can be perceived as one just cause she's slept with a lot of guys. Thanks for the many reviews!**

**Geez.. I forgot to include a disclaimer! I am not the brilliant (kinda, the ending books weren't as fabulous) James Patterson so therefore I don't own Maximum Ride (its a tragedy, really) but I do own the plot!**

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**Fang POV**

Basketball training starts in just a few minutes. When the team is first made, the coach will usually put you through some practice days before we actually start competing. Here I was, in my old school uniform, waiting for the rest of my team mates to finish dressing into their attire. We haven't gotten our uniforms yet, but I hope to god we do because I feel like a traitor to my new team for wearing this old uniform.

"Alright. Practice starts today people! I don't want any pathetic whiners, just push it to the end! Now, 15 laps around the court! Go!" Coach Anne yelled as we filed into the gym. I immediately took on a light jogging pace.

Around my 7th lap, Max strode on beside me and kept up with my pace.

"Hey Fang," Max greeted.

"Hey."

"One word? Geez, I know you can do better, Fangles," Max grinned as we made our 8th lap. I raised an eyebrow.

"Fangles?" I questioned.

"Yup, its my new nickname for you. Fangles!" Max grinned.

"Then I might just have to call you Maxi," I smirked. Max's mouth dropped open. Then she started to chase me.

I sprinted around the court, Max hot on my trails. No one could stay up ten meters behind me, much less one foot. Damn, the girl was fast. I turned on the speed and zoomed past my 11th lap mark. Max kept right up behind me. How much energy did Max have? She still looked intent on her goal with no plan of slowing down anytime soon. Just as I thought I had lost her, a small and feminine body crashed into mine and sent us both hurling past lap 15. We crashed into some gymnast mats, which softened the impact.

"I. never. knew. anyone could run so fast for so long," I gasped, trying to catch my breath.

"Good running Fang! Nearly as good as me!" Max grinned, getting up and slapping me on the back. She barely looked like she jogged two laps, not sprinted 15. I was confused up in her logic.

"But I was ahead of you the entire time," I protested, pulling myself to my feet.

"Yeah, but I'm not as tired as you are. I coulda easily outrun you. I just wanted to give you a chance," Max explained, leaving to join the other kids who were still running.

"What?" I said to myself. Still majorly confused.

"Good job man! That was some fast running! Nearly outran Max. She's the fastest in the entire school, even when she was a freshman," Iggy congratulated, his face red from all the running.

"How long has she been running?" I asked.

"Oh, she doesn't professionally run. In fact, she doesn't run other than during soccer and basketball," Iggy explained. I half-nodded, still not getting how Max could run so fast.

"Let's practice some dribbling techniques folks! Grab a ball and dribble some laps! Use both hands, not just your stronger one!" Coach Anne yelled from the bleachers. I did exactly that, and dribbled up and down the gym.

"Hey Fang," a voice out of no where said. I turned around to see a tall blonde guy next to me.

"Do I uhh, know you?" I asked suspiciously.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Dylan," Dylan explained.

"Did you need something, Dylan?" I asked. The guy still looked suspicious to me. I have ever seen him before.

"Sorry, I just transferred here, like you. Just wanted to say hi." Dylan explained as we both turned around to bounce the basketballs back down the court.

Max and I faced off in the center. Coach had split us into two teams and we were now playing each other.

Coach came into the center, ball balanced high on her hand and whistle poised in her mouth. She tossed it up. I was quick to jump, but so was Max. I had a few extra inches on her though, so I threw the ball backwards towards Gazzy.

I turned around and watched as Gazzy dribbled down the court to the net. He quickly passed off to Nudge, who tossed the ball in. Max looked pissed. I'm guessing it was rare to beat the great Maximum Ride.

We started in the center again, but this time Max got the ball and backhanded it to some kid I didn't know. As soon as Max got open, she was passed to. God, she looked good in those shorts. She wove through all our defenders and made an easy basket all on her own.

As we played off in the center for a third time, I made sure to guard Max. It didn't look like the rest of her team mates could do without her. Setting the situation up, I stood far enough from Max to make it look like she was open, but close enough for me to quickly intercede and grab the ball. From there I passed to Iggy, who then proceeded to pass to Nudge who winked at him. A few more passes and the ball got to me. I thundered down the court, spinning around and tricking my opponents. The basket was in shooting range, but a slim hand shot up and whacked the ball down to the ground. Max. She grinned at me as she ran down the opposite end of the court before passing to Dylan, who made a lousy shot and missed the basket.

At the end of our game, the coach just dismissed us and didn't mention a *thing* about uniforms. Dang it.

~~  
"Good job Fang, not too bad," Max said as we exited the gym.

"Not too bad? I was fucking perfect!" I exclaimed. Not fair.

"Ehh.. not as good as me.. but acceptable," Max declared after looking like she was deep in thought.

"I'll never win, will I?" I asked, giving up.

"Nope!" Max grinned, popping the 'p'.

Max and I parted ways, and Ella caught up with me. Since I wasn't exactly bad at basketball, Ella had been allowed to try out for the team a day later than everyone else. While we practiced the Coach had carefully analyzed her ability and promptly gave her a yes.

"OMG did you see the new guy?" Ella asked as we walked home.

"Who?"

"Blonde, blue eyes?" Ella hinted.

"Oh, you mean Dylan? Yeah, he came and introduced himself to me specifically. Weird kid."

"He was gorgeous!" Ella practically shouted. "Another hot guy! He was definitely a cutie."

This is why sometimes I think my parents should have had another daughter, someone for Ella to gossip with. I'm stuck with her instead.

"Ehh, he seems like a douche," I shrugged.

"You haven't even properly met him yet!" Ella protested.

"Neither have you," I pointed out.

"Yeah, you gotta point. But still. I will get to talk to him sometime!"

"Sure sure," I mumbled, not really paying attention anymore and dozing off while still walking. Ella continued talking, but I couldn't make out what she was saying.

"And I know you like Max," is what Ella said that snapped me out of my day dreaming.

"What?" I demanded, my head whipping to face Ella.

"I said; I know you like Max," Ella repeated, a giddy smile appearing on her lips.

"No I don't! Where on earth did you hear that?" I questioned.

"No where. But I saw the way you looked at her. And twin telepathy, of course."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't like Max, Ella. She's too.. too.." I struggled for words.

"See? See! You can't even find any words to express your feelings. Ha!" Ella smirked.

"I don't like her Ella, ok? I don't" I explained as we entered the house.

"Whatever you say, Fangles! I know I'm not wrong," Ella yelled as she ran up the stairs to her room. I stared at her retreating figure. "Where'd you hear that?" I called out. No answer.

**Max POV**

I sat in Fang's tree, which was right outside his house on his front lawn. Currently I was smoking a cigarette, swinging my legs back and forth from my position on a high branch. I was still in my basketball outfit.

I had just learned that Fang lived right up my street. So I took advantage and decided to see how long it would take him to notice the person in the tree.

I waited about twenty minutes before I saw Fang opening the curtains to what I thought was his room to let light in. He went to the back of the room and picked up what I thought were some clothes before his eyes locked with mine. He dropped the clothes and came to the window, his mouth forming a 'O' of surprise. He immediately ran out of the room and showed up on his porch a few seconds later. He ran to the trunk of the tree.

"Max?" Fang asked, looking like he didn't believe his eyes.

"Yeah?" I answered, pouring as much innocence as I could muster up into that one word.

"What the hell are you doing up there?! At my house. And are you.. smoking?" Fang yelled, starting to climb the tree. He had changed into some more leisurely clothes.

"I was bored. And your tree is amazingly comfy. And I forgot to mention, I live down the street," I shrugged. Fang pulled himself up onto my branch and sat.

"So you just climbed my tree and started smoking?" Fang asked incredulously.

"Pretty much."

"How come I haven't ever seen you?" Fang questioned, getting suspicious.

"Because my parents rented this house out until now. They decided it was better that I lived closer to school," I explained, blowing out another puff of smoke. Fang cringed at the smell. We sat there for a couple minutes without talking.

"So Max, tell me more about your mom," Fang started. My eyes immediately slit and stared at his obsidian ones.  
"Why you asking?" I snapped, letting my grammar slip. "What do you mean by 'more'?"

"Well, you told me a little about her during that movie night," Fang mumbled, seeing that it was an EXTREMELY sensitive topic for me.

"What exactly did I tell you?" I demanded. I had to know what he knew.

"Well, you told me how she passed away when you were 13. Result of a boating accident. You also told me that you loved her a lot..." Fang trailed off, failing to meet my eyes.

"You mention this to no one. No one! Got it?" I hissed, getting up in his face before rushing back down the tree and dashing off down the street. I didn't want to continue the conversation a word further.

I took one look back. Fang still sat in the tree, looking confused as ever.

I sludged into my room, shutting the door behind me. I collapsed onto my bed and buried my face in my pillow and groaned.

Why did Fang have to know so damn much about me? No one was supposed to know about my mother. My one sensitive topic.

As I turned to face the window in my room, I felt something under my pillow crunch. I frowned. Digging my hand under, I pulled two small pieces of paper out and gasped.

Jeb and Iggy, both encircled in red ink, smiled back at me. Turning the papers over I read;

_Jeb Ride._  
_Age: 52_  
_Only living parent of Maximum Ride and father to:*blank*_

_Iggy Griffiths._  
_Age: 17_  
_Only son to Ariana and Grayson Griffiths._

Shaking with fear I pulled out the small box that held my mothers photo. I stuffed in Jeb's and Iggy's photos with hers before angrily shoving the box back into the small hole in the mattress.

This was only the beginning of something big.

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**Sorry I haven't uploaded all week. I have been crazy busy with this out of the blue project. Spent a total of 10.5 hours after school each day. Anyways, I had some serious plot ideas and have decided to completely change the direction of the story itself. Don't worry, it's gonna be much better than my old plan. Hopefully we can get to some real action soon, but I don't wanna rush things. **

**A minimum of 7 reviews have been placed for the next chapter! I know I have enough followers to make that happen.. ;D More reviews = faster and better updates!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Fang POV**

I was sleeping, blissfully sleeping in the warmth of my covers. I wasn't even aware that my parents had already left for their work (apparently its normal to work 7 days a week) and that I was in the house with only my sister. I had been dreaming about random things, till a loud bang was brought to my attention and sorely woke me up.

I sat straight up in the bed, the cold air hitting my bare skin. I was immediately on hyper-alert, scanning the room for the source of the loud noise. Then I heard steps. Lots of steps. Coming up the stairs of *my* house. The house that I was supposed to be alone with my sister in.

I hadn't even had the time to react and grab a weapon. The door to my room suddenly flung open as several people filed in, making lots of noise.

"WAKEY WAKEY FANGLES! Today.. we go.. BOWLING!" Max screamed victoriously into the air as Iggy and Gazzy pulled me out of bed. I groaned and grumbled. Ella, Nudge, and Angel stood off to the side excitingly chatting about bowling or something. '

"What? Ella? What are you doing here?" I mumbled in confusion.

"Sweet Ella here is helping us with your kidnapping," Max explained innocently. "She woke up early to help the rest of us get ready."

Nudge and Angel forced me into some sort of dark clothing before I was combed and dragged into a crowded car.

"So Fang, have you ever been bowling?" Gazzy asked. Ella looked at me pointedly.

"Nope. Not a day in my life," I answered.

"So Fang, you grab and pinch the ball like this," Max demonstrated. "Then you swing it far back before bringing it forward again and releasing. Make sure to aim right. You sure you don't want us to set up bumpers for you? They make things easier." (AN: Bumpers are these tiny rails that prevent the ball from going into the gutters.)

"Nope, I'm perfectly fine," I assured her. It was my turn. I took a dark blue ball in my hands, and stepped up to the ally. I swung back, then forward, and flicked the ball onto the lane. It sped towards the pins with such accuracy and speed that the pins were there one second and then all gone the next. A perfect strike. I heard gasps, and I also heard Ella laugh.

"What? How?" Nudge asked, muttering a record of 2 words. Ella giggled some more.

"Don't be surprised. Fang used to bowl a lot. He was a champion in the sport. He just lied to you so he could look more impressive," Ella explained to the confused 5.

"Fang! Why didn't you tell me?" Max suddenly asked, snapping out of her trance and slapping my arm.

"Don't worry Fang. Max is just jealous. She's the bowling master of the Flock, but now it looks like she might have some competition," Iggy smirked, looking at Max. She just growled at him.

"Oh! Yes! Eat that, emo boy!" Max yelled as she got yet another strike. People were staring. Keeping a tranquil look on my face, I shot the ball forward. A full on strike. I just smirked at her and went back to take sit down.

"Wow Fang! I never knew you could bowl so well!" Angel complimented. I nodded a thanks. Max nearly got a strike, knocking down only nine pins. She got a spare instead. She stomped around like a 5 year old.

I got up to go to the boys bathroom to pack my stuff and grab my shoes. Our payed bowling time was up and I had already won the entire thing. It was time to go, and I was getting bored here.

I sat down on a bench and began to untie the cheap rented bowling shoes. As I reached down to grab my own, I felt a piece of...paper...touch my hands. I curiously picked it up and examined it.

The piece of paper showed a dark cave carved into the sides of a mountain. In the background there was a whole forest, extending all the way to the horizon of the photo. I wracked my brain, trying to identify the eerie photo. The place looked familiar, but somehow I couldn't connect the dots. How had the photo gotten into my bag? Confused, I stuffed the photo back into my gym bag for safe keeping. I got up and headed back to join the Flock.

"You know Fang, I really like you! Even though you don't talk a lot, you're a really nice person. I'm glad you joined the Flock. Now it's even! Three girls and three boys. Isn't that GREAT? OMG I can't wait to-" Nudge rambled off to me.

"Hey guys. What are you doing here?" Dylan said, hugging a Lissa in his arms. Lissa shrieked.

"OMG Fang! I didn't know you bowled! What else do I not know about you?" Lissa gushed, immediately disconnecting from Dylan and coming up to me.

"We're bowling, Dylan. What else could we have come for?" Max told him coldly. For some reason Max didn't really like this Dylan kid, even though she's probably been with a lot of his kind.

"I dunno, I guess.." Dylan awkwardly said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, we were just going.. See ya!" Max saluted, dragging everyone else behind her. Ella just drooled and stared as she was pulled outside.

"Ooooh.. Ella's got a crush!" Nudge giggled, obviously noticing my sister's reaction. Iggy scowled for some unknown reason.

"OMG, isn't he hot?" Ella nodded excitedly. I gagged.

"Oh shut up Fang, what do you know?" Ella said, slapping my arm playfully and rolling her eyes. I just grinned.

**Max POV**

I walked up to Iggy silently as he was stuffing his books into his locker for the first day of the week. "Hey, Igs," I whispered, pulling him around a corner so no one could see us. I pulled out the two photos.

"I found these two. There's more to this than I thought.." I trailed off. Iggy grabbed the two photos.

"Wait.. Is this.. Me?" Iggy whispered.

"No, it's just some clone- of course it's you, you idiot!" I angrily huffed. "Turn them over."

Iggy did as he was instructed, and stared at the neat writing on the back.

"Well, this doesn't help. This is basic info. You could find this info anywhere. It could be anyone!" Iggy explained.

"Yeah, well look. What really bugs me off is the blank after my name.. Where it states who Jeb is the father of," I told him, rubbing my forehead.

"I really don't know Max, I really don't know. We will just have to wait and see what comes next. I'm sure it's all just some sort of joke, ok?" Iggy told me, patting me on the back and walking off to class. I stood there, confusion clouding my thoughts.

For some odd reason Coach had called Fang and I down to the gym during lunch. I didn't know why. Probably because we were in trouble.

"Hey Max. Fang. Uniforms just came in, and it's sorta tradition that the two best players get their first choice of numbers. Go on and pick," Coach Anne explained, gesturing to the piles of shirts and shorts. I immediately dove in, looking for number 28.

*Flash back*  
_I sat at home in my mothers lap, listening to a story. My mom rocked back and forth, soothingly reading aloud those strange markings on the paper. All of a sudden, the book shut close. I looked up at my mother with big questioning eyes,_

_"Max. What's your favorite number?" my mom asked me, leaning down to lovingly look into my eyes._

_"I dunno Mommy..." I had answered shyly._

_"Well, I will tell you something. Something that you must never tell anybody else," my mom whispered. I immediately became giddy, excited at the idea of learning yet another secret. "Your favorite number should be 28."_

_Now I was confused. 28? "Why? That's so random. Why is the number 28 so special?"_

_"I can't tell you why now, but you'll learn one day. Just always remember that number. 28." my mother told me, gently tucking me into my soft bed and kissing my forehead. "Good night, Max."_  
*End of Flashback*

As soon as I had found the shirt I claimed it as my own and clutched it into my hands. Fang just searched through the pile boringly, looking like he didn't actually have a favorite number.

"Do you even have a favorite number, Fang?" I asked him.

"No. They're just numbers," he shrugged, pulling shirt after shirt out and examining them.

I immediately started looking for a certain number. "Here Fang, 82. The opposite of me," I told him proudly. Confused, he grabbed the shirt and looked at it. Then he smiled.

"Thanks Max."

* * *

**OMG that was so short. I'm so sorry. I just wanted to get a chapter up and I hated all the waiting, trying to go slowly. I kinda screwed up here and rushed things.. Hopefully I can rewrite it. But at least I got a chapter up! Even though I got only ONE review last time... And I said a minimum of seven. How about... 5 this time? Minimum of five. REVIEW PEEPS!**


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